The Apathetic Man
by Daltor
Summary: When the Doctors sunny beach filled plans are ruined and he meets a man so dejected that he has to put his vacation aside, he makes it his personal mission to change the way that man looks at life.


**Edited by Athenaparthenos1**

The Doctor parks the TARDIS; he runs up the stairs and comes back down with two suitcases. He grabs his Cuban style fedora and slides on his sandals; he passes by a mirror and makes sure that his palm tree bow tie is straight. Finally he puts on his sunglasses and opens the door, millions of water droplets hit him almost instantaneously

"Rain just my luck!"

He closes the door shut and turns around facing the TARDIS consol.

"SEXY I hope you have a good reason for taking me here…"

He shuffles back up the stairs; he reaches the wardrobe room and kicks off his sandals. When he is done changing he goes back down, he passes by the suitcases and bids them good bye. The Doctor opens the door to the feisty weather and walks out. He checks out his surrounding, he notices that he is not at the beach but instead is on top of a deserted bridge. He concludes that it's deserted because he doesn't hear any cars honking at him to move, he walks over to the downward slope and sees city light in the far distance.

"Hey who the hell are you?" "I saw you walk out of that box what the hell?" A man sporting a bushy bread who seemed to come out of nowhere grabs the doctors shoulder, he turns around startled.

"Hello I think that a more important question would be 'why are you here... in the rain... by yourself'..." The Doctor takes a step back.

"Oh I came here to... Jump off this bridge..." The bushy breaded man also takes a step back. The doctor is shocked by such an unexpected answer.

"Like with a bungee rope… is it behind my TARDIS?" "The weather is a little bad for that isn't it?" he starts walking towards the TARDIS and peeks behind it, he doesn't see anything.

"What? No I mean I came here to kill myself."

"Kill yourself?! Can you regenerate?" The Doctor walks over to him, he circles around the man checking him, he fondles his beard and sniffs him.

"Nope you are not a time lord which means that you won't regenerate, so that would mean that your death would be pretty permanent..."

"Hey get the fuck off me, what are you talking about 'regenerating' of course it would be permanent that's the point of it!" The man slaps the Doctor away.

The Doctor runs into the TARDIS and pulls out two wheeled chair, he pulls it over to the man and they both sit down. The man looks at him, he wonders why he's stalling he should just finish it already.

"Now tell me why you want to kill yourself." The Doctor crosses his legs and puts his hands in his jacket pockets.

"I hate this world... Everything bores me, I hate everyone... It's all just so pointless..." He looks at the Doctor and sighs. The Doctor uncrossed his legs and leans closer to the man.

"What where you saying I found this fish finger and well my mind took off." "I'm sorry would you like it? I don't seem to have any custard in here though."

The man looks at the strange man gets up and starts walking away, he goes over to the rail and gets ready to jump, the Doctor runs to him and rips him from the rail, they both fall to the ground. The man looks at him; he looks at the water running down the man's face and breaks down crying. The Doctor wonders what to do in a situation so awkward; he figures that he should pat his head reassuringly so he does. They both sit up and wipe the rain out their faces; they look at each other and break out laughing.

"See it isn't all bad." The Doctor says between breathes.

The man stops laughing and looks at him.

"Look I have a dead end job, a bitch of a girlfriend, and a convict for a father… should I go on?"

"What there's more?" "Look I'm almost a thousand, I've lost countless good friends, and not to mention I had to destroy my whole race… including my family and to make matters worse this whole universe is filled with hate and war." The Doctor looks at the man and wipes away a couple tears.

"Wow, wait what?" the bushy bearded man looks at him puzzled.

"Anyways I never asked for your name, I'm the Doctor" he straightens his bow tie and flashes him a wide grin.

"Smith, John smith." He extends his hand towards the Doctor.

"You're joking." The Doctor laughs, he goes to take his hand.

"Yeah I am, we'll my ID says Philip Bear but I like John Smith more…" He scratches his beard.

The Doctor looks up he didn't notice that the rain had stopped; he feels a breeze and shivers. He looks at the clouds, with this wind they should clear up and let the sun out.

"So tell me Phil is this the first time you've tried to do… what you… tried to do…"

"No, I come here at least once a week… I can never work myself up to actually do it…"

The Doctor gets up; he helps Phil up and pulls him over to the rails. He points towards the sky a rainbow had recently formed; the clouds float away revealing yet another one.

"Look at them and tell me that it would be worth it."

Phillip looks at the rainbows and back to the Doctor, he puts his hands on the doctor shoulders.

"It would be worth it."

The Doctor is surprised he was sure that the beauty of the rainbows would be enough. He looks back over the rail and sees two birds flying away together.

"Quick look over there, those two birds flying away towards the clouds." "What about that? Kind of makes you want to appreciate life doesn't?"

"Not really Doctor…"

He is stumped; he scratches his bristly chin and tries to think of a way to change the man's look at life. He thinks of the things that make him happy, he ends up thinking about Christmas.

"Tell me Phil old pal do you like Christmas?"

"Do I like Christmas? Hhmmm well when the family gets together it really warms my heart… yeah they get sooo well, not to mention the jolly music I have hear constantly on loop at my job." "Do... I… Like... Christmas..."

Phil sits on the bridges rails.

"My mom died on Christmas when I was 9… yeah my dad got too drunk and they ended up arguing… well he lost it and stabbed her…" "I found her bleeding out in the kitchen and my dad drinking at the dining table, I called 911 but by the time they got there it was too late…"

The Doctor curses under his breath, he looks over at Phil and sees that he started crying. He starts walking over try to comfort him when he sees him tip backwards off the rail.

Phil can't believe he finally did it, after so many years he finally jumped, he feels the wind rush past him. He wonders how long it'll take to hit the water, he opens his eyes and sees the Doctor staring at him from the bridge; he feels bad that he had to witness him do it. Soon any minute he should be entering the darkness the great beyond he's excited, he hears it the beautiful screeching sound of death.

His body hits with a thud, the wind is knocked out of him but he doesn't feel any water just wind and a hard surface. He opens his eyes he doesn't see black or white, no fiery pits of hell or a cloud filled heaven, he sees the same old blue sky. He feels the surface that he's on, wood, he turns his head and sees that it's a dark blue color. A door opens and a hand reaches out and grabs him by the sleeve, it pulls him in.

"Phillip Bear you didn't think you would leave without saying goodbye!"


End file.
